Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
For their weekly catch up with the Green Party, Oto spoke to Ricardo Menendez March about US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza. We also spoke about the Overhaul of the Public Works Act and The government's plan to change climate reporting laws for companies.
And, for this week’s Get Action! He spoke to Brenda Leeuwenberg, a resident of Ruakākā who started a petition to stop a sand mining proposal in the Bream Bay Area by the McCallum Brothers.
Sasha spoke to Burt Burmester, from University of Auckland Business School, speaking to us about the government’s foreign investment strategy.
And Amani spoke to Dr Joel Rindelaub, Senior Lecturer of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland, about the prevalence of microplastics in the human body, especially in brain tissue.
On the ninth of February, the government announced its plans to incentivise migrants to invest in New Zealand. Foreign investment refers to when an individual, company or government invests money in businesses in another country. Foreign investment can bring economic benefits such as job creation, increased capital flow and access to new markets, which New Zealand is severely lacking.
The government aims to welcome more people to contribute to Aoteroa and make it easier to do so. The new “Invest NZ” agency is modelled off the success of Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency and Singapore’s Economic Development Board.
Sasha spoke to the University of Auckland’s Burt Burmester about the government’s foreign investment strategy. He claims that incentivising foreign investment from sovereign wealth funds does not grant New Zealand access to highly sought-after industrial knowledge. We also spoke about alternatives to foreign investment strategies and how to increase New Zealand’s capital. Here is that interview.
A recent study at the University of New Mexico has found that there could be a spoon’s worth of microplastics in the human brain.
The study found that the extent of the harm to human health is unclear, although an increased inflammation and risk of future adverse cardiovascular events is likely.
Producer Amani spoke to Senior Lecturer of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland, Dr Joel Rindelaub, about the prevalence of microplastics in the human body, and what its impacts might be.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation are urgently calling for more Māori nurses in the workforce, and that the health system could do a better job at incorporating tikanga into practices.
This comes as a new report was released by Nuku on Waitangi Day, emphasising “culturally safe” staffing levels, which should be developed by Māori nurses, and defined by hapū and iwi.
Despite making up 17% of the population, the organisation says Māori nurses only make up 7% of the workforce.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Kaiwhakahaere of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Kerri Nuku (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) yesterday, about these calls from the organisation.
They started off by asking her why the number of Māori nurses working in the country is such a concern.
For Dear Science this week, our expert Professor Allan Blackman chatted to us about cooking an egg perfectly, how fear works in the brain, and which gender tends to talk more.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party, Wire host Castor spoke to MP Tom Rutherford about the government’s commitment to Te Tiriti in light of Waitangi day last week.
News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to the Kaiwhakahaere of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation, Kerri Nuku (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) yesterday, about the organisations urgent calls for more Māori nurses in the country’s workforce.
Producer Athena spoke to Associate Professor at UoA, Dr Kelly Burrowes about gender inequity in healthcare and research.
Sex-bias in healthcare and research has long been a prevalent issue for women, as clinical trials occurring as recently as 2023 have excluded women, in favour of testing men as “the average person”.
This has had consequences such as women being more likely to experience negative side effects to certain drugs, due to important differences in female bodies being unaccounted for in research.
As today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, producer Athena spoke to Associate Professor, Dr Kelly Burrowes, at the University of Auckland Bioengineering Institute, about the historic and current gender inequities in healthcare and clinical research, as well as The FemTech Revolution.
For our weekly catch up with the ACT Party, Producer Evie spoke to Simon Court about the ACT Party’s role at Waitangi Day, the latest unemployment figures and the government’s second emissions reduction target.
She also spoke to the New Zealand Council of Trade Union (NZCTU) Economist and Policy Director Craig Renney about the continuing rise in unemployment in Aotearoa.
News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture at the Victoria University of Wellington, Christine McCarthy, about the need for colour in New Zealand's prisons.
Evie spoke to Geopolitical analyst at the University of Otago Geoffrey Miller about Aotearoa’s relationship with the Cook Islands - which made news headlines over the weekend.
And Global Innovator, Matt Hart, joins us in studio to discuss using AI in a working environment.
The latest unemployment figures were released last week, and now stand at 5.1% - this is the highest since September of 2020, and a number that has been steadily rising since 2022.
Economist and Policy Director at The New Zealand Council of Trade Union’s Craig Renney says that there are much more complex and worrying numbers behind this number of 5%.
Producer Evie spoke to Renney about why our unemployment numbers continue to rise, how the government can help people get back into work and whether we’re going to see an ease in these numbers anytime soon.
The Cook Islands and Winston Peters dominated news headlines over the weekend. With media reporting that Aotearoa’s relationship with the Cook Islands was ‘significantly worsening.’
The reason for this is an agreement that the Cook Islands is planning to sign with China. Winston Peters says the Cook Islands didn’t consult with Aotearoa about what was in the agreement - which the country is bound to doing under the 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration.
However, the 2001 agreement is complex, and has certain clauses that means these rules don’t always apply.
Producer Evie spoke to Geopolitical Analyst at the University of Otago Geoffrey Miller about the complex relationship between us and the Cook Islands - as he broke down the topic and whether anyone has really breached any agreements in this situation.
In her recent article on The Conversation, Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture at the Victoria University of Wellington, Christine McCarthy, discusses the lack of colour in prison spaces.
News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to her about her article, and what we could see in these spaces, if more colour were to be incorporated.
From Dec 27 to Jan 18, all train lines across Tāmaki will be shutting down for summer maintenance, a closure which is expected to be the last of its kind ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link.
The current measles outbreak in Tāmaki is being continually monitored, with exposure sites being updated daily on info.health.nz. The public are encouraged to track whether they’ve been in possible contact with the virus, and get up to date on any vaccinations to limit possibilities of transmission.
Auckland Council are supporting arts initiatives across the summer months, with Music in the Park kicking off in early January, and Movies in the Park following in February.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, and also asked for comment following the attack by two gunmen at Bondi Beach earlier this week.
Yesterday, the latest six-monthly survey of housing support providers under the National Homelessness Data Project, or NHDP, showed that homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September. The report also found that 14 of the 21 agencies interviewed reported an increase in homelessness.
As well as this, Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has taken effect. And according to an interim report into social media harm, a social media ban for children in New Zealand is worth exploring further.
And last week the Government announced the replacement of the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The coalition said its replacement will slash red tape and supercharge growth.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s new RMA reforms and a potential social media ban in New Zealand.
But first they discussed the latest report on Auckland homelessness.
The Parliament’s Workforce and Education Committee has released an interim report on an inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders face online. The government has recently announced an overhaul of the Resource Management Act and introduced two new bills in its place, the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.
For our weekly catch-up with the National Party, Producer Vihan spoke to MP Carl Bates, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Workforce and Education Committee, about the new findings of the interim report, the new Natural Environment Bill, and the Fast Track Approval Amendments Bill.
The government has announced the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which will be replaced by two different bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. The RMA is set to be fully replaced by 2029.
The RMA, which has been in effect for 34 years, is polarising across the political spectrum.
In announcing the reforms, RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, says that “pretty much everything” will be quicker and less costly under the new regime.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about this overhaul of the RMA.
They also discussed The Education and Workforce Committee’s interim report on the harms young people experience online, with a majority recommending a ban on social media for under-16-year-olds.
But first, they discussed the overhaul of the RMA.
On Sunday, “Block the Ban” held a protest against the government’s decision to ban new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
The United Nations’ committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination has released a report warning that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights.
And last week, the government rejected the recommended methane emissions targets.
This is despite officials warning against the government doing so, stating that lowering methane emissions targets could increase New Zealand’s contribution to global warming.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
Safety measures on public transport are of growing concern this week following the fatal and unprovoked attack that took place on route 76 in East Tāmkaki on Monday night.
Earlier this week there were also multiple critical incidents that occurred simultaneously across Auckland’s West Coast beaches and waterways, seeing an unusually high deployment of emergency services and surf lifesavers for this early in the summer.
Swedish home and furniture retailer Ikea opened in Sylvia Park a week ago today, drawing huge excitement for many.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
Last week was scrutiny week, where Parliament focuses entirely on holding government agencies and ministers to account, to check-in on how well the Government is performing.
Many of the questions surrounding scrutiny week have been focused on climate change, with many recent reports highlighting the Government’s questionable decision-making.. The biggest headline was that the coalition had chosen to reject all three of the climate change commission’s recommendations to strengthen New Zealand’s emissions targets.
Along with this, the United Nations released a new report, where they’ve warned that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights and entrenching disparities for the indigenous population. In the 14-page report, the UN expressed concerns over multiple government policies affecting Maori, including the disestablishment of the Maori Health Authority, cuts to public funding for Maori services, and minimising the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the report released by the United Nations, but first they discussed Scrutiny Week and the Government’s recent climate change decisions.
The government is pausing the new prescriptions of Puberty Blockers to gender diverse and transgender young people from the 19th of December onwards, following a similar move by the UK after the results of the NHS’s Cass Review.
Wire Producer Flo spoke to activist Lauren Craig about the effects of the legislation, her petition “Reverse the decision to deny transgender and takatāpui young people access to puberty blockers” against the changes and the wider political motivation for the policy.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here
The biannual Scrutiny Week took place in Parliament last week, with meetings across select committees and government departments focussed on scrutinising the outcomes of government work.
These include hearings on ministries like Health, Housing, Environment and Justice.
Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Carl Bates about Scrutiny Week, firstly by asking him to talk about the meetings he was involved in
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